What a year! Last year at this time I was haunted by the fact that I had agreed to be SIC President. I don’t even remember giving my speech at my induction, I was that nervous.

Then, I had to get through my first meeting, my first board meeting, and my retreat. Each time I thought I might pass out. I just kept taking it one step at a time. I have to say it was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I have grown so much. There is no way I could have done this alone, Bonnie Chapman, who strongly encouraged or as I would say “got me into this” has stood by me every step of the way just like she said

would. I am forever grateful to Bonnie she is the kind of friend everyone deserves. Thank You doesn’t even begin to say how grateful I am to have her by my side.

I also couldn’t have done this without my board and my co-chairs, you amaz-ing ladies seriously make me look good. Every time I think I may need to check on some-thing or remind someone of something that needs to be done, it’s already handled. Thank you, to all of you! I would also like to mention two other Soroptimist sisters who have gone above and beyond this year. First, Nancy Han-son, is the most organized person I know and has been such an amazing Secretary, she has been one step in front of me all year. She is like a little angel sitting on my shoulder giving me a nudge, reminding me to get going, and we do. Thank you, so much Nancy you are the BEST. The other Soroptimist is Joyce Brown who is the encyclopedia of Soroptimist.

She is always there for me when I have a question, when I need something sent out to the membership quickly, she is on it. Thank you, so much!

This year has defi-nitely not been normal or what we expected, and as we navigate our way through Zoom and Social Distancing, I want to thank all of you who have jumped in and learned how to manage the technology and have attended meetings and socials with us. We have had up to 40 members on Zoom and have been lucky to have our SNR Governor, our District 1 Director/ Governor-Elect attend meetings.

Finally, I want to express my deep thanks to each and every member. I am so grateful that you put your trust and faith in me to be your SIC President. This is a journey I will never forget.

President Carrie Pavis Final Recap Calendar

Business Meeting

June 3

Committee Review

June 10

President’s Farewell

June 17

Home & Garden Show

July 25-26

Tentative Dates due to COVID-19

SI Chico Installation of Officers & Summer Picnic

Merlo Park, Stirling City—Aug. 23

Retreat Railroad Park Resort,

Dunsmuir Sept. 18—20

All above dates are tentative

June 2020 Volume 2, Issue 4

Congratulations 2020-2022 SNR Board of Directors

Page 2 June 2020 Vo lume 2, Iss ue 4

Who would have thought? This life we are now living laden

with restrictions and covered in masks, intermingled with fear is nothing

any of us anticipated. Each of us is doing our best as individuals to perse-

vere and navigate shelter in place. Although nothing is normal, the abil-

ity to have shreds of normalcy in our days and weeks have helped us

cope. Our organization and local club has done a wonderful job of pivot-

ing and adapting to a new approach in getting our work done and serving

both our membership and community. Here is a summary of Soroptimist

and Covid-19.

Soroptimist International affirms the importance of our ongo-

ing work. There are a few poignant articles about lesser seen impacts of

Covid-19 including the Pandemic and Organized Crime and one about

ramifications of shelter in place on domestic violence. Sharon Fisher, the

President of Soroptimist International speaks in her message of the great

solidarity we share by being part of a strong, vibrant group of women

from around the world. We make a difference together.

https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/tag/covid-19/

Soroptimist International of the Americas has messaging on

their website encouraging clubs to focus on dream programs and support

women during this difficult time. They have the infographic, pictured on

the right, that emphasizes the great need and shows how important our

work is in supporting women.

Governor Lane from our own Soroptimist Sierra Nevada Region, has

shared stories of resilience in our local area clubs. In a recent eblast, she

wrote about how we have all been adapting and learning to operate virtu-

ally. Some clubs have even had an uptick in attendance with members

who normally cannot attend in-person meetings, now able to attend

virtually. Governor Lane also pointed out that the women who we strive

to serve are often those most heavily impacted by Covid-19. She reiterat-

ed that women and girls need us now more than ever. I agree.

Finally, here at SI Chico, as always, we have risen to the occa-sion. President Carrie restarted our weekly club meetings on Zoom and we have all done well learning the platform and (mostly) being patient with one another. We had a fun Zoom happy hour/trivia night and many committees have met online. We continue to vote on motions, give away money, award scholarships to deserving young women and plan for our future service, despite being home. Some of us created a wonderful sur-prise to show our members the love and appreciation they deserve and planted signs in everyone’s front yard. There was joy in giving and re-ceiving. Though many of our plans have changed and the way we meet is different for now, we must remember that this is temporary. Our work and service to the community is not. Hang in there everyone. There is work to be done.

By Bonnie Chapman

With the onset of Covid-19, all events for SIChico were put on hold. Here’s what we had planned and what has changed.

On April 29th we had planned to visit the new Anthropology Exhibit on the CSU Chico campus. As you know, it was cancelled.

Installation for Billie Araiza was going to take place Monday, June 15, 5:30 at Canyon Oaks Country Club. Sadly, the celebration of Billie and her newly elected board has been postponed. The good news is that we will be holding the Installation in conjunction with the Summer Picnic, August 23, 11:00 am at Merlo Park in Stirling City. We will be sending out more information about the Installation/Picnic in the coming weeks, so look for it in your e-mail.

With Covid-19, retreat plans are up in the air right now

Welcome New Members

Page 3 June 2020 Volume 2, Issue 4

Events Committee Recap Fundraising Committee Recap

Jami McNamee Julie Jones Katie Salcido Erica Wuestehube

2019-2020; Fundraising Featuring Food and Fun

We at SI Chico are so thankful for an

extremely successful year in raising funds which

was headlined by our second Epicurean Rendez-

vous. Chef and Soroptimist sister, Ann Leon was at

the helm of steering our event to be the premiere

foodie event of 2019. The fundraising committee

worked all summer and up to the event, which was

held on Sunday, October 13 at Manzanita Place.

There were 17 wineries and 1 brewery

which were all paired with tastings throughout the

evening. No one left hungry!! The food was sumptu-

ous and began with a huge spread of dips, cheeses,

and accompaniments, followed by passed appetiz-

ers. We were then seated and treated to a tour

through multiple courses and tastings which daz-

zled everyone’s palates. The feast was rounded out

with the reveal of the dessert parlor which held

tables laden with decadent treats for all. The care

taken in planning, preparing, and presenting this

spectacular menu was a true highlight of the even-

ing.

We were fortunate to have great sponsors

for the event, some returning and some new.

Cali’flour Foods, The Virginia Jones Foundation

and B’urban Kitchen were our three main sponsors.

The Virginia Jones Foundation generously donated

additional money to fund our decoration of Manza-

nita Place. The room was truly transformed, and we

were able to give the event the cachet and look to

match the menu and theme. All of this resulted in

giving those in attendance an elevated experience

that they will all remember and hopefully spur them

to attend again in the future. Sponsorships were

also given by Cal-Water and we had many in-kind

donations.

We held an extensive silent and live

auction as part of the fundraising effort. The silent

auction featured donations from many local busi-

nesses and vendors and baskets kindly created and

donated by our members as well. The live auction

had some great items and top-notch experiences

including a diamond necklace and a chef’s table

dinner for 8 at B’urban Kitchen. Mollie Openshaw

was the Emcee for the evening and did a wonderful

job as our auctioneer.

A slide show with photos of our history

and work in the community and beyond was

streaming in the early part of the evening. Billie

Araiza gave a short presentation to the crowd, let-

ting them know who we are and what we do as So-

roptimists. We heard later from several people that

they really did not realize the extent of our work and

contributions. One of the great benefits of a big

event is educating audiences about our mission and

service.

The evening wrapped with the sweet

sounds of Decades. This local band is a favorite for

good reason. They played all the best dance tunes

and as usual, SI Chico and all our guests brought the

best moves to the dance floor. There is nothing

better than grooving to the beat with a great group

of friends at the end of a fabulous fundraiser featur-

ing food and fun!

Thank-you again to everyone who made our event a giant success. Special thanks to Ann Leon and the fundraising committee of 2019-20. You gals are the best. We have $40,000 to utilize for our club works next year because of all this effort. Bravo SI Chico.

Thank you Executive Chef Ann Leon for your Culinary

Creations

Page 4 Volume 2, Issue 4 June 2020

Presenters and Awardees at our LYD Ceremony: Linda

Allen, LYD team, Idalee Montgomery, Rosie Potestio, LYD

Coordinator, Aimee Ellingson, Shawn Murphy, LYD team,

and President Carrie Pavis

Live Your Dream Awardees March 11, 2020

Coordinator Rosie Potestio

SURPRISE

April showers bring May flowers and this May what's popping up all over

Chico, Durham, Paradise, and Oroville are these lovely Soroptimist yard

signs. Who are these Soroptimist fairies planting these signs? They are

Carrie Pavis, Bonnie Chapman, Billie Araiza, Sara Beacham, and Joyce

Brown.

Special THANK YOU to Bonnie for coming up with this lovely surprise.

SURPRISE

May 12 Drive by Lisa Fitzgerald’s house to celebrate her newly elected position as SNR District 1 Governor Elect

Coordinated by SI Bidwell Rancho MAKING MASKS WHILE IN QUARANTINE

Our sewers in our club made masks for people in our community

including the Peg Taylor Center. Great job ladies!

Congratulations to Carol Braziel, Bev Rozendaal and Linda Sheppard for their mem-

bership, dedication and service for 30 years. They are also all SIC Past President's.

CONGRATULATIONS

To everyone that received their years of service recog-

nition pins. Left to right: Stephanie Giacovelli 5 years,

Lauren Wright 5 years, Nancy Hanson 5 years, Linda

Bates 15 years, Kit Oldham 5 years, Carol Braziel 30

years, Bev Rozendaal 30 years, Linda Sheppard 30

years. Presenting the pins is Sandi Decker.